This invention relates to use of a smart floor in elevators to assist in ride comfort through improved space allocation and rope hitch location.
Recent innovations in elevators, such as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/189,161 have utilized so-called xe2x80x9csmart cardsxe2x80x9d which transmit information from a potential passenger to the elevator to place destination calls for service, and to otherwise identify some characteristic of the passenger. However, such improvements have not addressed the problem of improving the quality of the passenger""s ride.
Objects of the invention include improving riding comfort in an elevator; improved elevator ride qualities; and improved passenger comfort within an elevator.
According to the present invention, a smart floor in an elevator is utilized to determine the exact weight distribution of passengers within an elevator car, which may be used to locate at least one coordinate of the center of gravity for lifting of the car, and coordinating passenger information with occupied space by means of transmissions received from a smart card, which information may be utilized to improve rider comfort.
According to the invention further, an elevator car has a smart floor consisting of a grid of elements, each element having a weight sensor, such as a piezoelectric element, an RF receiver including an antenna, and circuitry to process signals from the receiver and the rate sensor and providing resultant signals to the elevator controller. In still further accord with the present invention, the distribution of weight within the elevator may be determined by the weight sensor elements, and utilized to control at least one axis of an adjustable hitch so as to support the elevator more directly in line with the present center of gravity. In accordance with the invention still further, information about the passenger, localized to the particular position within the elevator, may be utilized to allocate calls to cars and advise passengers at landings in a manner to manage the tradeoff between travel time and passenger density in a car.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the light of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.